Transporting receptacle for baby chicks



July 6, 1954 N. F. TOADVINE TRANSPORTING RECEPTACLE FOR BABY CHICKS 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 18, 1952 T, N NI m I w r MY B M w PatentedJuly 6, 1954 UNITED STATES ATE? QFFICE TRANSPORTING RECEPTACLE FOR BABYCHICKS 2 Claims.

This invention relates to transporting receptacles for baby chicks andmore particularly to a returnable receptacle having a disposable bottomon which the chicks are supported.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved chicktransporting receptacle having a foldable wall and partition structurewhich is returnable to the shipper for reuse and a disposable bottomportion which is left with the chicks at the delivery location and isdisposed of by the purchaser after the chicks are moved .into thebrooder; which has a wall and partition structure which can berepeatedly sterilized without damage and maintained'in a clean andsterile condition; which also includes a returnable top or cover whichcan be repeatedly sterilized and is so constructed that when thereceptacles are stacked one on the other an air space will be providedbetween each cover and the bottom superimposed thereon; which provides afoldable wall and partition structure the parts of which are hingedlyconnected together so that the structures remain in unitary condition atall times; and which is simple and durable in construction, economicalto manufacture, easy to handle, and efiicient and effective in use.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the following description and the appended claims in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view of a chick transporting receptacleillustrative of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view showing two of the receptacles instacked condition;

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of a receptacle;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on an enlarged scale onthe line 3'4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the wall and partition structure of thereceptacle when in folded condition.

With continued reference to the drawings, and particularly to Figure 3,the receptacle comprises a top or cover, generally indicated at H), 4

an upstanding wall and partition structure, generally indicated at I Iand a bottom, generally indicated at I2.

' The bottom I2 is preferably formed of an inexpensive sheet material ofsuitable rigidity, such as corrugated cardboard, and includes a bottomwall I3 of rectangular shape and a flange It upstanding marginally fromthe bottom wall I3 and extending around the latter. The flange I4includes bent-up portions extending one along 2 each edge of therectangular bottom wall portion l3, and is of a height only sufficientto provide a barrier for baby chicks so that the chicks will be retainedin the bottom I2 of the receptacle.

The bottom wall I3 of the bottom 12 is covered by a sheet I5 of crepepaper which provides a sanitary covering for the bottom and also,because of its creped or slightly corrugated construction, provides asecure footing for the baby chicks on the upper surface of the bottom I2of the receptacle and does away with the necessity of placing any loosematerial, such as sawdust or shavings, in the bottom of the receptacleto provide a proper surface for the chicks.

The bottom i2 being of inexpensive material is disposable by thepurchaser of the chicks and is not returned to the shipper as are thewall and partition structure Ii and the top it.

The structure II comprises a pair of side walls I 8 and I9 arranged inparallel spaced relation and a first end wall It extends transverselybetween said side walls adjacent one of the complemental ends of saidwalls, one end of the end wall I6 being hingedly connected 'to thecomplemental end of the side wall i8, as at 23, and the other end of theend wall it being hingedly connected to the complemental end of the sidewall I9 as likewise indicated by the numeral 23. A second end wall I?extends transversely between the side walls I 3 and i 9 adjacent theother complemental ends of the latter-named side walls and has one endhingedly connected in like manner to the complemental end of the sidewall I8, not indicated, and has the other end hingedly connected to thecomplemental end of the side wall E3, as indicated at 23.

Positioned within the structure it is a pair of partition pieces 28 and2! arranged in crisscross intersecting relation. The partition piece 2i!has one of its ends hingedly connected to the end wall It intermediateits ends, as indicated at 2-6, and has the other end hingedly connectedto the end wall I! intermediate its ends, as indicated at 21. Thepartition piece 2i has one of its ends hingedly connected to the sidewall I8 intermediate its ends, as at 28, and has the other end hingedlyconnected to the side wall 19 intermediate its ends, as at 29. Thepieces 29 and H are connected at the criss-cross intersecting point forhinged movement. Specifically, the partition pieces 28 and El areoppositely notched at their midlength locations as indicated at 2-3 and25 respectively, with each notch extending substantially one-half thewidth of the corresponding partition piece and the two pieces are fittedtogether with a portion of each piece between the corresponding notchand the opposite edge of the piece received in the notch of the otherpiece. The notches 24 and 25 have a width sufficient to permitthepartition pieces 20 and 2| to move angularly relative to each otherfrom the position illustrated in Figure 3 to that illustrated in Figure5.

The walls I6, I1, I8 and I9 and the partition pieces 20 and 2I arefabricated Wholly of durable and corrosion resistant material and areall provided with ventilating openings, as indicated at 30, to providefree circulation therethrough. The thus described wall structure is setinto the bottom I2 so that the bottom edges of such structure rest uponthe flat bottom wall I3 with the flange I4 bearing against the exteriorportions of the wall structure.

The top I is also formed of durable and corrosion resistant material andincludes a flat top wall 3| and a flange 32 extending about the boundaryof said top wall and dependingly secured to the latter wall. The topwall M is adapted to rest upon the top edges of the structure H with theflange 32 bearing against the exterior adjacent portions of saidstructure.

The top Wall 3| of the top is provided with upwardly extending ridgeformations 34, 35, 36 and 31, the formations 34 and 35 being disposedalong one longitudinal center line of the top wall BI and extendinginwardly from the adjacent edges of the top wall and the formations 36and 31 being disposed along a center line of the top wall perpendicularto the center line along which the formations 34 and 35 are disposed andextending inwardly from the adjacent edges of the top wall. These ridgeformations provide supports for a bottom superimposed on the top It sothat an air space will be provided between the bottom wall of thesuperimposed bottom and the top Wall 3I of the corresponding top toinsure adequate ventilation of the receptacle. The top Wall 3I of thetop I0 is also provided with ventilating openings 38 arranged along theedges of the top wall 3I and between the inner ends of the ridgeformations 34 to 31 inclusive.

In the use of the improved receptacle, at the shipping point a bottom I2is placed on a suitable supporting bench or table and a sheet I ofcreped paper of the same size as the bottom wall I3 is placed in thebottom. A side Wall and partition structure I I in squared orrectangular condition is then placed within the flange I4 of the bottomand baby chicks are placed in the compartment provided by the partitionpieces and H. A cover I0 is then placed on the upper side of thestructure II, the structure II having a height such that the bottom edgeof the cover flange 32 is spaced from the top edge of the flange I4 ofthe bottom, with the ventilation openings in the side wall bodies of thestructure II disposed between the adjacent edges of the bottom flangeand the top flange, as is clearly illustrated in Figure 2. If severalreceptacles are to be carried to the same delivery location they may nowbe stacked one on top of the other to a height of two or threereceptacles and the stacked receptacles are then tied so that the bottomI2 at the bottom of the stack and the top It! at the top of the stackwill be maintained in place on the corresponding wall and partitionstructures I! or, each receptacle may be separately tied, if desired.The provision of the separate bottoms I2 is not a disadvantage since thereceptacles have to be tied in any case to retain the tops on thereceptacles against accidental displacement during transportation.

At the delivery location the receptacles are placed on a suitablesupport and the ties released. The cover is then removed from eachreceptacle and the corresponding wall and partition structure I I thenremoved by simply lifting it out of the associated bottom leaving thechicks on the disposable bottom. This leaves the chicks in anundisturbed condition on the bottom on which they were already supportedand avoids the necessity of having to dump or pour the baby chicks fromthe receptacle around a brooder stove or other brooder structure thusavoiding injury to the chicks and greatly increasing their livability.

After the tops and the wall and partition structures have been removedfrom the bottoms the tops are stacked together in nesting condition andthe wall and partition structures are folded to a substantially flatcondition, as illustrated in Figure 5 thereby materially reducing thebulk of these parts of the receptacles. The wall and partitionstructures and the tops are then returned to the shipper Where they arecleaned and sterilized and used over again for another delivery ofchicks. These Wall and partition structures and tops, while originallymore expensive than the cardboard cartons or receptacles now in generaluse for the delivery of baby chicks, are so durable and may be used somany times that the cost of the transportation of the receptacles isreduced to an insignificant figure, the main cost becoming that of thedisposable bottoms Which is relatively insignificant when compared withthe cost of an entire cardboard receptacle.

Besides reducing the cost of delivering the chicks the improvedreceptacle of the present invention greatly increases the protectiongiven to the chicks during transportation'and avoids any injury to ordisturbance of the chicks to an extent suflicient to affect theirlivability.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms Without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims, are, therefore, intended to be embracedtherein.

What is claimed is:

1. In a transporting receptacle for baby chicks,

, van upstanding wall and partition structure fabricated wholly ofdurable and corrosion resistant material and comprising a pair of sideWalls arranged in parallel spaced relation, a first end wall extendingtransversely between said side walls adjacent one of the complementalends of the latter walls and having one of its ends hingedly connectedto one of the complemental ends of said side Walls and having the otherof its ends hingedly connected to the other of the complemental ends ofsaid side walls, a second end wall extending transversely between saidside walls adjacent the other of the complemental ends of the latterwalls and having one of its ends hingedly connected to one of thecomplemental ends of said side walls and having the other of its endshingedly connected to the other of the complementa1 ends of said sideWalls, said side and end Walls having spaced apertures therein, a pairof partition pieces arranged in criss-cross intersecting relationpositioned within said wall structure,

one of said partition pieces having one end hingedly connected to one ofthe end Walls intermediate its ends and having the other end hingedlyconnected to the other of the end walls intermediate its ends, the otherof said partition pieces having one end hingedly connected to one of theside walls intermediate its ends and having the other end hingedlyconnected to the other of the side walls intermediate its ends, saidpartition pieces being connected at the criss-cross intersecting pointfor hinged movement, a cover alsowholly fabricated of durable andcorrosion resistant material and comprising a fiat top wall, and aflange extending about the boundary of said top wall and dependinglysecured to the latter wall, the top wall of said cover resting upon thetop edges of said wall structure with its flange bearing against theexterior adjacent portions of said wall structure and a bottomfabricated wholly of disposable material, the bottom wall receiving thebottom edges of the wall structure, the free edge of the flange of thecover and the bounding edge of the bottom being spaced from each otherand providing an unobstructed space therebetween for egress of airthrough the adjacent apertures.

2. A transporting receptacle for baby chicks including an upstandingwall and partition structure fabricated wholly of durable and corrosionresistant material and comprising a pair of side walls arranged inparallel spaced relation, a first end wall extending transverselybetween said side walls adjacent one of the complemental ends of thelatter walls and having one of its ends hingedly connected to one of thecomplemental ends of said side walls and having the other of its endhingedly connected to the other of the complemental ends of said sidewalls, a second end Wall extending transversely between said side wallsadjacent the other of the complemental ends of the latter walls andhaving one of its ends hingedly connected to one of the complementalends of said side walls and having the other of its ends hingedlyconnected to the other of the complemental ends of said side walls, saidside and end walls having spaced apertures therein, a pair of partitionpieces arranged in criss-cross intersecting relation positioned withinsaid wall structure, one of said partition pieces having one endhingedly connected to one of the end walls intermediate its ends andhaving the other end hingedly connected to the other of the end wallsintermediate its ends, the other of said partition piece; having one endhingedly connected to one of the side walls intermediate its ends andhaving the other end hingedly connected to the other of the side wallsintermediate its ends, said partition pieces being connected at thecriss-cross intersecting point for hinged movement, a cover also whollyfabricated of durable and corrosion resistant material and comprising aflat top wall, and a flange extending about the boundary of said topwall and dependingly secured to the latter Wall, the top wall of saidcover resting upon the top edges of said wall structure with its flangebearing against the exterior adjacent portions of said wall structure,and a bottom fabricated Wholly of disposable material and comprising afiat bottom wall and an upstanding flange extendin about the boundary ofsaid bottom wall, the bottom wall receiving the bottom edges of the wallstructure with its flange bearing against the exterior adjacent portionsof said Wall structure the flanges of the cover and bottom unobstructingthe apertures in the side and end walls to provide an egress of airthrough said apertures.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 875,011 Swift Dec. 31, 1907 1,465,145 Park Aug. 14, 19231,874,708 Palubiak Aug. 30, 1932 2,065,923 Jessen Dec. 29, 19362,328,689 Shafer Sept. 7, 1943 2,345,000 Newsom Mar. 28, 1944

